shamrock

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun creeping European clover having white to pink flowers and bright green leaves; naturalized in United States; widely grown for forage
  2. noun Eurasian plant with heart-shaped trifoliate leaves and white purple-veined flowers
  3. noun clover native to Ireland with yellowish flowers; often considered the true or original shamrock

Etymology

From Irish seamróg, from Old Irish semróc, diminutive of semar, semair (“clover”), from Proto-Celtic *semarā, *semaris (compare Gaulish uisumaris (“clover”)), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *semh₁r-, *smeh₁r-. Related to Old Norse smári (“clover”) and possibly Georgian სამყურა (samq̇ura, “clover”).

In classic literature

Synonyms

white clover, dutch clover, Trifolium repens

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